Edda: The Pokémon Kingdom
by Asmonet
Summary: All Jessin Mikaid ever wanted was to follow in her father's footsteps and become a member of the Cressellian Guard, the elite unit of Pokémon trainers that protects the royal family of Edda. But when the palace is attacked just after Jessin receives her very first Pokémon, she must do more than protect the princess – Jessin must help her regain her throne.
1. Chapter 1: Ember

I fidgeted in my new uniform, tugging on the end of a violet sleeve to straighten it out. The uniform – a long purple coat and white pants – was the finest garment I'd ever worn, and wearing it marked the end of long years of study and training.

But it wasn't the uniform that had caused me to stay up all night tossing and turning. It was my Pokémon.

What was I going to get? I told herself I would be fine with anything – the Cresselian Guard had been selecting their new recruits' starting Pokémon for generations, after all, and despite being in their company more than that of children my own age for most of my childhood, I'd never heard one complaint. The Cresselians ran batteries of tests to determine the most suitable partner for each recruit, and drew information from the rigorous three-year training program at the Academy that recruits underwent before they even got to the point that they were deemed worthy of a Pokémon partner. Whatever they had chosen for me, I would trust that it was the right fit. Even if it was something like a Grimer, or a Shuckle…

I cringed at the thought of those Pokémon being selected as my starter. I would put on a brave face, but, what I wanted was a Charmander, just like my father had gotten on when he'd become a full member of the Cresselian Guard and set out on his grand tour of Edda. I'd grown up with Ruby, my father's Charizard, as much a presence in my life as my father himself. As a Cresselian, my father was ineligible to compete in the Pokémon tourneys that enthralled commoners and nobles alike – but many whispered that were he eligible, Captain Bandian Mikaid of the Cresselians and his Ruby would battle on equal footing with the Elite Four. I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps and surpass him and Ruby with a Charizard of my own, becoming the greatest Cresselian in the history of Edda.

There was no use worrying about it. There was nothing I could do now to change my fate. I eyed the three Pokéballs waiting on the table at the front of the sanctum – they were forged of the finest Faerie Glass, the mineral mined in the mountains of the Daguz region that, until the recent invention of Apricorn Pokéballs, had been the only material from which Pokémon-capturing devices could be made.

The balls were two different shades of gray, a dark near-black on top and a lighter slate gray on bottom, with a line of silver separating the two hemispheres and encircling the button that would release my new partner when pressed. It was all I could do to not throw my three years of stoic training to the side and run up to the Pokéball like a child.

A door opened to my left and a quintet of Cresselians stepped through, all decked out in their finest whites and purples, the Cresselian colors. I recognized their leader, a wizened woman with stark white hair and bronze skin. She walked with the aid of a cane, but her posture radiated grace and command. I'd often seen her from afar, though I had rarely been in this close of company with her. This was Nisi Drenin, the High Commander of the Cresselians.

Behind Nisi stood my father, Bandian Mikaid. He caught my eye and winked. On my father's other side was Sallia Samoth, one of my father's closest friends in the Cresselians, who had been like an aunt to me growing up. Sallia was smiling, and like my father, had mischief tinkling in her eyes.

I flushed and returned my father a stoic nod before turning my eyes front like a good soldier. I hadn't recognized the two Cresselians on Drenin's other side – no surprise there. As much time as I'd spent among my father's comrades, the Cresselians were a widespread organization with nodes throughout the kingdom, despite their main purpose of protecting the royal family. Cresselians were constantly on tour or coming and going on one task or another at the behest of Commander Drenin or Edda's Lord Regent himself.

Eventually, Drenin's slow pace brought the five veteran Cresselians to the front of the sanctum, the three Pokéballs resting between them and the three new recruits.

"Cresselians," Nisi intoned. Her voice echoed as incense swirled between the sanctum's pillars. The sanctum was one of the most sacred spaces in all of Edda, centered as it was within the royal palace. It was a place only for the Cresselians and the royal family itself. Before today, I'd never seen inside it.

"First Commander," we three recruits echoed in unison.

"You have completed your training, and taken your vows to serve the Kingdom of Edda, the Edda family, and to hold to the ideals of the Legendary Pokémon Cresselia – to protect this kingdom against nightmares of all kinds, both internal and external. You have been entrusted with the very future of this kingdom. And now, you shall be entrusted with something just as precious – a Pokémon companion of your very own. A life to nourish and be nourished by, to challenge and to grow alongside in an eternal partnership, in service of crown, monarch, and nation.

"Nearly 60 years ago, I was entrusted with my first Pokémon, a Bagon named Truestrike. Though Truestrike passed on several years ago, lucky enough to die of old age rather than in battle, our bond still persists, and I carry within me the spirit of a Salamence for all of my days."

I shivered. I only had vague memories of an elderly Salamence from my childhood, but Truestrike and his trainer were legends in Edda – supposedly the pair had single-handedly broken the Siege of Maunanmont and quelled a horde of Tauros that threatened to stampede a band of refugees fleeing Perfland, among countless other exploits.

Now, Nisi turned to the other Cresselians. "Soldiers, please release your starters to partake in the ritual."

And they did. Bandian was first – he pressed the catch on his Pokéball and in a flash of scarlet light, Ruby was their beside him, soon joined by Sallia's Pidgeot, Swift.

The two unfamiliar Cresselians released their Pokémon as well, a Camerupt and a Kadabra.

"From the past to the future, from our Pokémon to yours, let the bond be made," Drenin said. Then she picked up the Pokéball farthest from me.

"Cresselian Cedric Almoran, please step forward." My eyes hung on my fellow recruit as he followed the commander's orders. A bit taller than me, Cedric had a mop of blonde hair and a pocked face. All three of us recruits had been in Academy together these last three years, though Cedric and our other compatriot, Dannia, had taken 4 and 5 years for their training, respectively, making them 19 and 20 to my 18. But I didn't feel smug about it – they hadn't had the benefit of growing up among the Cresselians with a Captain for a father and no mother around to make me come home at a reasonable hour and make friends with kids my own age. Doubtless they had other facets to their lives, other hobbies and interests.

All I had was Pokémon training and the desire to serve my kingdom.

"Cedric," Drenin said, "during your training, you displayed great flexibility and patience in your approaches to solving problems. These are valuable skills in a Cresselian, who must never rush blindly into action but must instead plan, prepare, and execute their plans flawlessly. For your first Pokémon, we are entrusting to you a partner who is likewise flexible and patient, hiding in plain sight before attacking its target with great speed and mercilessness. To you, Cedric, we entrust the Flower Pokémon, Bellsprout."

Drenin pressed the button and released Bellsprout just at Cedric's feet, then handed him the Pokéball. He took it and bent down to greet the tiny Pokémon, his face spread in a grin.

The Bellsprout stood just 2 feet tall, the pale yellow bell of its head and beady black eyes turning up to its new trainer, its leaf-arms waggling excitedly. Cedric picked it up and it immediately twined its vine legs around his shoulders, finding a happy perch there.

Drenin was matching Cedric's grin, and even I couldn't help but smile, despite my own anticipation growing to a near-painful level. Bellsprout wouldn't have been my first choice, but it was a fine Pokémon. Trained properly, it would eventually evolve into the powerful Victreebell, a deadly purveyor of poisons and sharp-edged grass attacks. When I thought about it, it did seem the perfect match for Cedric's personality. But that still left me with a question – did they think Charmander was the perfect match for me? I was my father's daughter, but would they see that? Had I displayed the proper qualities throughout my training to be rewarded with a Charmander? I knew they were rare Pokémon – was I a worthy enough cadet to go to the expense for?

I bit the inside of my lip to stop myself going lightheaded and quell the Butterfrees in my stomach.

"Dannia Rezdin, step forward," Drenin said, and the short, curly-haired young woman did as she was bid.

"Dannia," Drenin continued, "you are energetic and you perform better under pressure, a necessary skill in the many crises Cresselians must deal with every day. We have for you a Pokémon that is likewise good under stress – Electrike, the lightning Pokémon – with its electricity, it stimulates its muscles, giving it greater maneuverability and power in battle."

Drenin released the second Pokémon from its Pokéball. It stood no taller than Bellsprout, though it was a canine Pokémon that stood on four legs and was mostly green with yellow markings on its snout, ears, and tail. Electrike let out a bark of pleasure as Dannia bent down to pat it on its large head crest, and tendrils of electricity danced along its green fur, which stood on end as the current passed over it.

Electrike was a little more my style than Bellsprout, but still not what I wanted. There seemed to be a green-and-yellow theme going on with the recruits' starter Pokémon so far – I hoped I would be the one to buck the trend.

"And lastly, Cresselian Jessin Mikaid."

I stepped forward, my throat tight as if it were gripped by a Pinsir.

"Jessin, you wear your heart on your sleeve. Your passion for the Cresselian cause is clear, and it provides a light to others lost in darkness. Likewise, the Pokémon we've chosen for you casts aside the shadows, and its flame waxes and wanes with the fervor and passion in its heart. Captain Mikaid, if you would like to do the honors?"

My father stepped forward, a solemn look on his face, and picked up the third Pokéball on the table. I was furiously scrolling through all the Pokémon knowledge in my brain to find some other Pokémon Drenin could mean, something to temper my expectations…

"You'll like her," my father said, a grin finally splitting his stoic face. "She's Ruby's get."

With that, he released her into the world.

My Charmander.

She was beautiful – pale red skin save for the beige patch of her belly, bright, wide, blue eyes, a grinning mouth that displayed her fangs, and a merry bonfire on the edge of her tail, glowing bright.

I was on my knees embracing her before I knew what I was doing. My eyes were wet. Charmander yipped her delight and did her best to embrace me back with her short arms.

"I love you," I said to her. "I love her," I said to my father. He stepped forward and squeezed my shoulder. Behind him, Ruby roared her approval, shaking the stone pillars that supported the vaulted chapel roof.

To my left, I heard the cry of an unfamiliar Pokémon. I wiped my tears to see better, and found that it was a Yanma, the buzzing of its wings filling the chapel with a low drone. It must have flown in through the small tunnels that wove throughout the palace for the use of courier Pokémon. I got to my feet and picked Charmander up, cradling her in my arms.

The Yanma hovered over to Drenin, and held out a scrap of paper in its forelegs. Drenin took the paper from it. "Thank you Yanma," she said, as she began to read.

She looked up briefly at the three new recruits and their brand new starter Pokémon before turning to the four veteran Cresselians who flanked her.

"We're under attack," she said.

"Where?" my father asked with no hesitation, snapping instantly from the role of doting father to Cressellian Captain.

"East gate," Drenin said, glancing back down at the note. "Seems to be mostly dark- and fire-type Pok émon."

"Wunjo and Daguz," the Cressellian with the Kadabra said. "But why?"

"That's a question for later," my father cut in. "For now, we move. Lord Regent Uruz's chambers are near the East Gate – he may be the target. We'll move to his location, secure him, and reinforce the area. Shay, what is the Princess's location?"

"She ought to be down in the nursery with her Eevee," the Cressellian responded. "Zem was with her."

I saw something in my father's posture relax. "She's likely not the target, and Zem is a sturdy guard."

My father turned to me and I straightened under his sudden attention. I had felt like a simple observer as the Cressellians had sprung into action, and now I felt like an audience member at a stage play who had suddenly been yanked up onto stage.

"Cedric, Dannia, Jessin, you three are Cressellians now, and it's time for your first assignment. You are to report the situation to Cressellian Zemnos, currently watching over Princess Vannarae at the royal nursery. After that, you are to put yourself at Zemnos's disposal, helping him get the princess to a safe location or whatever else he might require of you."

"I can fight, father. Captain," I said.

"I know you can, but hope that you won't have to," my father said. "You may have your Pokémon now, but a pitched battle is not the place for trainers and Pokémon brand new to each other. Besides, you and Zemnos may see combat yet. I'm not sending you to safety, Jess. I'm sending you where I need you. Where the Cressellians need you. Now go!" He cast a sheepish glance at Drenin, suddenly remembering he was not the highest-ranking Cressellian present. "If that's ok with you, First Commander."

The leader of the Cressellians nodded sharply. "Begone! And don't wait on my old legs." Drenin cast the flap of her cloak open, revealing a belt underneath with 3 Pokéballs set into loops. She pulled out all three in one practiced motion and released the Pokémon within at once: A Bisharp, Electabuzz, and Pinsir.

"Take these with you," she said. "They'll move faster than I. Friends, the castle is under attack. Follow the orders of Captain Mikaid and the other Cressellians until I can get there."

My father was moving but he met my eyes over his shoulder as he ran, returning Ruby to her Pokéball as she was too big to move swiftly in the close palace corridors.

"Be strong," he said as he met my eyes.

I nodded and felt tears welling up in my eyes. He didn't belittle me by telling me to be safe – no, I was a Mikaid, and Mikaids didn't stay safe. We didn't need to – we stayed strong.

"Let's go!" I said to Dannia and Cedric. "Charmander, return!" I raised my new companion's Pokéball and it leapt inside in a beam of red light. The other newly-minted Cressellians did the same. We would move faster without the Pokémon on foot – none of our three were particularly swift Pokémon, save perhaps Manetric, and now wasn't the time to test it.

The three of us left the chapel by the door opposite that through which the senior Cressellians had exited, heading for the west wing of the palace and the Pokémon nursery it held, where Princess Vannarae was spending time with her newly-hatched Eevee, the royal Pokémon that would evolve into a symbol of her reign when she took the throne.

We started off at a jog, with me leading, but soon I picked up the pace even more. My father had given me my first task as a member of the Cressellian Guard. I would not fail him.


	2. Chapter 2: Defend Order

The chapel was near the central hub of the sprawling palace of Edda, which was delineated by its four wings - north, south, east, and west. The west wing, which I and my fellow Cressellians had now entered, was the palace's private wing. It held the royal residences, kitchens, servant's quarters, and, of course, the royal Pokémon nursery.

For generations, the rare Pokémon Eevee had been the royal Pokémon, bred exclusively for the royal Edda family. It was forbidden to capture wild Eevee. Eevee was so special because unlike other Pokémon, it had 18 different possible evolutions rather than just one – it had one for each of the 18 Pokémon types. It was considered a great sign of favor for a monarch to evolve their Eevee into the Pokémon type corresponding to a particular noble house. In fact, those noble houses held a monopoly on the special methods of evolution required to evolve their particular "Eeveelution," along with certain other Pokémon of that type. So a royal Eeveelution was a sign of a strong alliance between the two houses.

The late Torlath Edda, father to Princess Vannarae, had evolved his Eevee into the dragon-type Drakeon, showing his favor to the House of Waz in the far northeast of Edda, a relatively new addition to the kingdom.

Princess Vannarae had just turned 14, the age at which royalty traditionally received their Eevee. Just last week, the royal breeders had hatched a newborn Eevee, a descendant of the royal line of Eevees that stretched back generations. Since the hatching, the princess had been in the nursery as often as the Lord Regent and her tutors would allow, doting over the baby Eevee that would grow into the symbol of her reign once she reached the age of sixteen and took the crown for herself.

If Princess Vannarae was to be found anywhere, it was in the nursery.

The three of us turned a corner a few corridors down from the nursery and pulled up short. A man was standing in the center of the hall in servants' garb, as if on guard. I didn't recognize the man. Of course, the palace staff was immense, but news of the attack in addition to the man's apparent lack of purpose put my nerves on edge.

The man tensed as he saw us.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Next to me, Cedric bristled. "We are Cressellian Guards under important orders from the First Commander herself! What are you about, man? Why are you just standing here?"

"There's no time," Dannia said. "Leave him be, Cedric. Come on." She made to move past the man but he stepped in front of her and blocked her path.

"Cressellians, are you? You're just pups!"

"Out of my way!" Dannia said, but she backed up a step to clear space between them.

"Careful Dannia, he's no servant," I said.

The man glanced up at me and smirked. "Kids these days. Well, I'm afraid I'll have to stop you here. This wing of the castle is closed right now, you see?" The man reached into his belt and came out holding a faerie-glass Pokéball. He stepped back and threw it in front of him, releasing his Pokémon in a flash of red light. When the spots cleared from my eyes, I saw that he had released a Panpour, a monkey-like Pokémon colored cream-and-blue, with a tuft on its head resembling a wave.

I reached for my Charmander's Pokéball, but Cedric caught my arm before I could release my Pokémon.

"Dannia and I have the type advantage here," he said. "We'll hold off his Pokémon so you can get past to the nursery. We need to make sure the princess is safe. If this one was keeping watch, there must be more further in."

I nodded reluctantly. He was right.

"Manetric, go!" Dannia called, releasing her Pokémon. Cedric was right behind her, releasing his Bellsprout strategically so that the Panpour was hemmed in by the two of them, allowing me an alley to run past it and its trainer.

"Hey!" the fake servant called as I dashed past. He made to run after me, but a line of electricity from Manetric's thundershock danced in front of him and he pulled up.

I sprinted away – I wished I could help them, but Cedric had been right – protecting Princess Vannarae was the priority. I just hoped I wasn't too late.

I heard the sounds of combat before I rounded the corner to see it. There were metallic clangs like two swords glancing off each other. When I rounded the corner I saw that the sounds were produced not by swords, but by the locked horns of two quadrupedal Pokémon – a Gogoat and an Absol. I recognized the Gogoat and the trainer who stood behind it – Zemnos, the Cressellian my father had sent the three of us to reinforce. I didn't recognize the female trainer in her 50s backing up her Absol, but I did recognize her colors – black and gray, the livery of house Daguz, masters of Dark-type Pokémon.

I knew Zemnos to be a powerful trainer (else he would not have been assigned to solo guardianship of the princess), but nevertheless it was clear that his Gogoat was overmatched against the Daguz's Absol. Gogoat was doing all it could to defend itself, rarely having the opportunity to launch attacks of its own.

"Gogoat, use Synthesis!" Zemnos called. Gogoat shoved its horns against Absol's scythe-like one, pushing itself back to get some breathing room. Then it began to glow as it absorbed ambient light to heal itself.

My stomach grew tight. In a one-on-one matchup against a superior opponent, a healing move like Synthesis wasn't a winning move – it was a stalling one, a delaying tactic. Zemnos already knew he couldn't win. He was just buying time.

I skidded to a stop. My Charmander wouldn't do much to sway the tides of such a high-level battle. Should I back off and go for reinforcements?

Zemnos looked up and noticed me at the end of the corridor. I saw his eyes flicker down to take in the brand new Pokéball at my waist.

"Jessin, into the nursery! There's another within! Protect the princess!"

That settled that. But was the second attacker within the nursery as fearsome a foe as the one Zemnos was struggling with? If so, I wouldn't put up much of a fight. Was Zemnos sending me in because I stood a chance of winning, or simply to stall the trainer long enough that real reinforcements might show up?

I decided it didn't matter. However ill-equipped I might be for a fight, I was certainly better off than the princess. And more dispensible, if it came to that.

The Daguz trainer spared me a glance as I rushed past her and her Absol, but she seemed to dismiss me and turn back to directing her Absol's assault on Zemnos's Gogoat.

"Absol, Double Team!" she commanded, and her Pokémon began to move so quickly that it left after-images in its wake, leaving Gogoat unsure which flickering image to attack.

I slipped past Zemnos and Gogoat into the royal Pokémon nursery.

The scene within was less dire than my worst fears – Princess Vannarae and her newly-hatched Eevee were both alive and unharmed, from what I could see, and there was only one attacker – a boy slightly older than me wearing Daguz livery. He had a swoosh of black hair covering one eye and a long, slender frame. In front of him was his Pokémon, which I recognized with a jolt of surprise as a Zorua – an incredibly rare dark-type Pokémon. It was slate gray, with a black mane and a fire-like tuft of hair at the crown of its head, tipped in red fur.

The royal eevee sat in a next of blankets at the far end of the room, peeking its head out, its ears matted against its head in fear.

Between Zorua and the Eevee stood Princess Vannarae, her arms outstretched as if to ward off any harm the Daguz trainer and his Pokémon might mean to inflict upon her Eevee.

"Calm down, Rae," the Zorua's trainer said. "You know me – we mean neither you nor Eevee any harm. My mother and I are here to ensure your safety."

"You mean to make us your prisoners," Vannarae practically spat. She looked past her antagonist and her eyes lit as she saw me. "Cressellian! Defend me from this rogue!"

My fingertips brushed the Pokéball at my waist, a weight that already felt comforting at my hip. I released the catch of my belt loop and summoned Charmander back into the world. It let out a cry of joy and defiance. The trainer and his Zorua turned to face me, Zorua re-orienting itself to stand between its trainer and this new threat.

"Of course, your Highness," I said.

The Zorua's trainer looked me up and down, taking in my uniform and my Charmander.

"They're letting children play Cressellian these days? Why don't you go back to your parents before you get yourself hurt, girl."

He wanted to banter? I weighed the advantages and disadvantages of bandying words with him. We were in the Royal Palace, which held the largest concentration of Cressellian Guards in the entire kingdom. No matter how large a force was attacking the east gate, it couldn't be a full-on army – such a large force would never have made it so near the palace without being detected. Which meant that numbers were likely on our side, and thus the longer I could draw this out, the more likely it would be that reinforcements would arrive for me before they would for my opponent. Indeed, it seemed likely to me that the attack on the east gate was likely a feint so that the attackers could capture Princess Vannarae to use as a hostage and negotiate their way into control of the palace, rather than taking it by force. Surely my father and the other Cressellians would realize this soon enough when they saw what size force they were dealing with, and would dispatch reinforcements as quick as they could. So I would keep him talking.

"You can't be more than a year older than me, if that," I said. "Besides, my father is a Cressellian as well, and it was his orders that sent me here to defend the princess."

"Our goal is not to hurt the princess. It's to protect her from Duke Uruz."

"That's Lord Regent Uruz," I corrected. "And what you're describing sounds an awful lot like a coup."

The trainer's fist tightened. "Call it what you will. My mother is doing what she must to save this country from Uruz's madness."

"You and your mother are the mad ones, Belen!" Princess Vannarae said from behind him.

The name, combined with his house colors, jogged my memory. This was not just any Daguz – this was Belen Daguz, second eldest child of the Duchess Vashal Daguz. I suddenly remembered that the Duchess was famous for the powerful Absol that was her partner in battle. She was seeing to this task personally? It was no wonder Zemnos was having a difficult time fending her off outside the nursery. Traditionally, Dukes and Ducchesses were among the strongest trainers in the kingdom. Before the current system of inheritance had taken root, leadership of duchies had been decided by grand Pokémon tournaments. Though this was no longer the case, the leader of a Dukedom found it hard to be taken seriously if they were not also a Pokémon trainer of some reknown.

I studied Belen more closely now that I knew who he was. He had aquiline features and perfectly coiffed hair. I saw only the one Pokéball at his waist, but I was more worried about his single Pokémon after learning his identity. While Cressellians didn't get their starting Pokémon until age 18, nobility often received theirs much earlier, forming bonds with them as pets before learning to battle with them. I knew by reputation that House Daguz was among the more martially-inclined of Edda's 18 noble houses, and I couldn't imagine that the son of a Duchess was inexperienced in Pokémon battles. I might have undergone intense Cressellian training these last several years in the academy, but I had no practical experience battling, and Charmander was brand new to me. I knew her attacks, but we hadn't had an opportunity yet to get to know each other and develop a chemistry.

Still, it wasn't like I had much choice in the matter. I was the only one here to protect Princess Vannarae, and I would do it to the best of my ability.

There was a loud crash from the battleground outside the nursery where Zemnos and the Duchess were battling, and it seemed to snap Belen out of his thoughts.

"Well, I suppose I ought to dispatch you quickly, then," he said.

Damn. I should have worked harder to keep him talking. No use for it now.

"Get ready, Charmander," I said.

"Zorua, use Feint Attack!" Belen marked my Charmander with an outstretched hand, and Zorua was moving, zipping towards Charmander in a blur of shadow.

"Charmander, dodge!" I yelled, but my Pokémon was too slow – Feint Attack was nearly impossible to dodge.

Zorua's skull connected with Charmander's chest and sent her hurtling back towards me. Zorua rebounded and landed on its feat, waiting for its trainer's next command.

"Charmander, are you ok?"

My Pokémon responded by pushing itself slowly to its feet, the flame on its tail guttering for a moment before blazing strong as it regained its feet.

" _Char, char!"_ it cried.

"All right then – let's keep it at a distance. Use ember!"

Charmander leapt at my command and did a full 360-degree spin in the air. A pellet of fire erupted from the flame at the tip of its tail, flying unerringly towards Zorua with the momentum of the spin.

Zorua dodged at the last moment, managing to avoid some but not all of the blast. The opponent's Pokémon was breathing heavily when it came to rest, and I could see a darker, singed patch of fur where Charmander's ember had connected.

"Don't let up, Charmander! Ember again!" I called.

Charmander began flicking its tail over each shoulder rhytmically at its opponent, and soon a storm of fire filled the air, an arsenal of embers arrayed against Zorua.

"Zorua, feint attack! Dodge the fire and attack!"

Zorua growled its assent, and launched itself once more into a blur of shadows. It danced between impact sites, Charmander shifting to try to anticipate the foe's movements.

A few embers caught it glancing blows, but soon enough Zorua was upon Charmander, and the long-ranged attacks would no longer work quite so well.

"Charmander, switch to scratch!" I called.

My Pokémon's tail stopped its dancing, and instead Charmander braced itself for impact, preparing to meet Zorua's head-on assault with its glinting claws.

Zorua launched its attack, a torpedo of darkness. Charmander met its onrush with its scratch attack, and I could instantly see that I'd miscalculated. Whatever Charmander's lineage, it was still a largely untrained Pokémon that knew only the most basic attacks. Using ember had kept Charmander from being outclassed instantly, as Zorua had no long-ranged attacks of its own. But up close, the difference in training was clear. The higher-level feint attack overwhelmed Charmander's week scratch, penetrating Charmander's defenses as if they were nothing and sending it sprawling again.

"Charmander!" I cried. This time, it didn't get up.

"Good enough. Zorua, take out the Eevee next. We'll take it with us and then you'll have to come along peacefully, won't you, princess?"

"No!" Vannarae shouted. She stiffened her posture in front of Eevee's bed. "I won't let you hurt her!"

"Zorua, Feint Attack! Around the side!"

Zorua blurred, and I could see what Belen's plan was. Zorua's attack was fast enough that if it went around the room and came at Eevee from the side, the princess wouldn't be able to interpose herself before the attack landed.

But if I could predict which side Zorua would attack from, I had a chance.

It pained me to leave Charmander unconscious on the ground, but my duty to the princess came first. I leapt into action, taking a straight line toward the princess's Eevee while Zorua took the long way round. I still didn't know if I would be quick enough to beat it. At the last moment I jumped, hoping the last burst of speed would be enough.

It was. I regretted it instantly.

There was a reason that humans didn't get involved in Pokémon fights – it wasn't about fairness or honor or anything like that. It was because Pokémon, even the youngest, weakest ones, were far stronger than humans. Getting a feint attack from a Pokémon trained for battle?

It fucking hurt.

I heard more than felt a rib snap, a tearing, popping sound. I screamed with pain, but managed to grapple Zorua in my arms as I fell to the ground. The impact nearly freed the Pokémon from my embrace, but I think Zorua was as surprised as I was.

"Zorua, break free!" Belen shouted. Zorua began to try to do as he said, but even though the Pokémon was many times stronger than me, that didn't allow it to break the laws of physics. I had size and leverage on it, and was holding it in such a way that its legs and teeth had no easy way to gain purchase on me or the ground, though each of Zorua's struggles sent a violent shudder of pain through my whole body, stemming from the firebrand that was my broken rib.

"Damn it all. Zorua, return!"

The Pokémon in my grasp suddenly transformed into a splash of red light and retreated to its Pokéball, leaving me clutching nothing but my bruised chest.

"What is all this, then?" I recognized the voice from the battle commands it had issued outside the nursery. Now I knew it belonged to Duchess Vashal Daguz.

I pushed myself up to hands and knees and looked up at her through eyes wet with tears of pain.

The Duchess stood imperiously next to her son, neither she nor her Absol looking the slightest bit mussed from their battle with Zemnos – a senior Cressellian.

"I have this under control, mother," Belen said.

"Oh? Is that why you had to recall Zorua to its Pokéball?"

Belen scowled. "I can simply release him again, mother. I defeated the guard's Pokémon."

He gestured to the side, where Charmander still lay unmoving. Vashal didn't even turn to look at my fallen Pokémon.

"Well, nevermind. Let's secure the princess and be on our way."

What could I do? Charmander was unconscious and I had nothing in the way of healing items. Even if I did, Charmander hadn't been a match for the Duchess's son – what match would the two of us be for the Duchess herself, even if we were at full health? Zemnos and his Gogoat had barely been able to stall her.

I pushed myself to my feet and, step by agonizing step, interposed myself once more between the Daguz and the princess.

"Get out of here," I said. "This is treason."

For the first time, Duchess Daguz met my eyes.

"Cressellian, you have acquitted yourself honorably. Now stand aside. Edda needn't lose any more good soldiers. Trust me when I say that what we do here today, we do to secure the future of the kingdom."

"I don't know anything about that," I said. "All I know is my duty."

Vashal held my gaze for a long moment, as if searching for something. Finally, she gave a short nod.

"Absol. Remove him."

I didn't even see the blow coming. One second Absol was standing next to her, and the next it had carromed into me from the side, sending a volt of such volcanic pain through me that I blacked out for a moment and didn't come to until I was lying on the cool floor of the nursery, some ten feet from where I had been standing. I tried to move, but my limbs didn't seem to be listening to me. It was all I could do to drag my body around in such a way that I could see the princess and her Daguz kidnappers. If I couldn't protect her, at least I could bear witness.

"Princess Vannarae," Vashal said. The girl she spoke to was tense, her body trembling in fear. "I apologize for the roughness my son and I have had to display here tonight. Trust me when I say that we do so to honor your father's legacy, and to protect the Kingdom of Edda."

"You've given me little reason to trust you," Vannarae said. Though her body was quavering, her voice was still and strong. My heart burst with pride for my young monarch-in-waiting.

Then Vashal did something unexpected. She returned her Absol to its Pokéball as if sheathing a weapon and went down to one knee before the princess, in a pose of supplication.

"My Princess, I truly believe it is my duty to see you from here to safety tonight, that we may protect your reign against the machinations of Duke Uruz. I sincerely hope that we will not have to treat you roughly, but we will if we must. I shall be mortified to do so, but duty demands it of me."

Princess Vannarae seemed honestly shocked by the Duchess's words, and had no reply to them.

"Oh, come off it, Vashal," a new voice said. The voice came from the very edges of my range of vision, but I could make out red pants and dark burgundy boots.

"Duke Wunjo?" Vashal asked, rising. "What are you doing here? You were to be leading the attack on the East Gate."

"And so I was," Duke Fetter Wunjo said. "Until I heard tell of your dastardly plot to go back on our agreement and slay Princess Vannarae rather than ensure her safety, as we agreed."

Duchess Daguz rose to her feet and turned to face Wunjo, confusion on her face.

"What are you talking about? Whoever has fed you that lie has malice in their heart, Fetter."

The red duke stepped toward his Daguz counterpart, hand resting casually on the hilt of the shortsword at his waist.

I tried to shout a warning to the Daguz duchess, but all that came out was a croak. While she had been my enemy, she had at least seemed to regard Princess Vannarae with some level of respect. Every instinct within me recoiled against something in Duke Wunjo's casual tone.

"I only regret that the rumor did not reach me in time to save Princess Vannarae's life. I had to settle for vengeance instead."

At that, something shifted in Vashal's face as she realized what was about to happen – but it was already too late. In one fluid motion, Duke Wunjo drew his sword from its sheath and buried it in Vashal Daguz's heart. He let her fall against him, and with a slice of his blade, severed the belt at her waist that held her Pokéballs, taking them and holding them away from her so that she couldn't release one as a final act of defiance.

"No!" Belen yelled, and released his Zorua with a flash of red light. "Get him, Zorua! Feint attack!" Zorua blurred from the red light of his Pokéball straight into a black blur of his attack. But he met another blaze of red light, as Duke Wunjo released his own Pokémon.

Wunjo's Blaziken blocked Zorua's feint attack with one upraised knee. Without a command from Wunjo, the Blaziken followed up its defense with an attack – a kick that was super-effective against the dark-type Zorua and sent it flying through the room until it impacted the far wall and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Return!" Belen yelled through tears, and Zorua zipped back into its Pokéball in a stream of red light. Belen let loose an almost animal growl and threw _himself_ at Blaziken next.

I turned my attention away from the sounds of meat impacting meat as Blaziken knocked the fight out of the younger Daguz with one blow. The princess still stood trembling by her Eevee and I was her only line of protection remaining. Clearly Duke Wunjo meant to slay her and blame it on House Daguz. As witnesses, no doubt Belen and I would be slain as well.

Finally, I summoned enough strength to struggle to my feet. While Wunjo's attention was on Belen, perhaps the princess and I could sneak away.

I limped over to her. "Princess. _Princess_." I had to speak twice before I jolted her out of her shock and she saw me. "Do you have Eevee's Pokéball?"

"Yes," she said. She reached to her belt and retrieved it. Some part of me was surprised to note that it was not a traditional faerie glass Pokéball, but rather one of the new ones made from hollowed-out apricorn fruits.

"Return it to its ball," I said. "We'll see if we can sneak out while he's occupied." I didn't have high hopes on that score – I'd lasted one attack against a duke's Absol – how long would Belen last against Wunjo's Blaziken?

The princess returned Eevee to its ball just as an impact sounded, signalling that Belen's short fight against Wunjo's Blaziken was at an end.

"And where do you think you're going?" Wunjo asked. "Blaziken, Flamethrower!"

Blaziken opened its mouth and flames began to well up in the back of its throat. I grabbed Princess Vannarae and dove to the side with her, sending the two of us just beyond the blast radius of the jet of fire that erupted in our direction. But Eevee's Pokéball slipped from the princess's grasp as well fell, and I watched in horror as it rolled toward Duke Wunjo.

The duke lifted a toe and halted the ball's progress under his foot. He sneered as he looked down on it.

"Shoddy construction, these things. Don't know why you would choose one over a ball of faerie glass." With that, he raised his foot and stomped down on the Pokéball. It didn't shatter, but cracks did form in the ball's surface and sparks of lightning crackled across its surface.

"No!" Princess Vannarae cried, and tried to rise to her feet. I shifted my weight to keep her pinned to the ground, lest she offer herself to the duke's blade.

Wunjo raised his foot to stomp down on the ball a second time, but there was a small cry and a pellet of fire struck Wunjo in the gut, sending him staggering back a pair of steps while he patted at the sparks that had caught on the front of his tunic.

I turned in surprise. At the other end of the room, my Charmander had struggled to her feet. She was breathing heavily and her skin was covered in scuff marks, but the flame at the tip of her tail burned strong. My heart broke at the sight of her standing strong despite her obvious pain. I was so sorry to have put my partner in such dire straits so soon into our partnership.

I couldn't let her get hurt any further. If I returned her to her Pokéball, perhaps they would let her live. A Pokémon couldn't testify to Wunjo's crimes, after all.

Blaziken stepped between me and Charmander, growling low in its throat.

"Wait, Blaziken," Wunjo said, stepping forward. "This one harmed me personally. I believe I shall return the favor." Wunjo stepped toward Charmander, sword drawn.

"Charmander, return!" A beam of red light erupted from my Pokéball, but it was blocked by Blaziken's body. Realizing what I was doing, Blaziken turned to intercept the beam as I maneuvered the ball around to try to get a bead on my Charmander to return her. "Charmander, run!" I shouted desperately.

But Charmander already had the heart of a Cressellian. As Wunjo approached it, Charmander fired ember after ember at him, with passion if not quite with the speed of her earlier assaults on Zorua. Now that he was watching for them, Wunjo avoided the blasts or deflected them with the flat of his blade. I could see Charmander flagging, the light on her tail slowly waning. But as Wunjo drew nearly within reach, Charmander's tail erupted in one final flare of defiance and she leapt through the air at Wunjo, claws drawn to meet the Duke's sword.

"No!" I cried. Blaziken's body blocked my view of the two meeting, and I was never sure thereafter whether or not to be grateful for the fact. But I heard the ringing of claws meeting metal, then a second, wetter sound of metal sundering flesh, and the pained cry of a dying Pokémon cut short with a _thunk_.

I saw a pale red body fall to the ground, no flame burning at the end of a limp tail.

" _Charmander!"_ My throat tore raw and my eyes were torrents of boiling water. Beneath me, Princess Vannarae was shock-still, covering her head with her hands to block out my cries or attempt to ignore her impending doom.

"Blaziken, do shut them up, will you?" Wunjo said.

I stared, wide-eyed, as the towering form of Blaziken loomed over the princess and I. I knew I should move, should do something to avoid the deadly blow that was about to fall on the princess and me, but even the sense of duty within me wasn't enough to overcome the sight of Charmander's corpse seared across my vision.

The Blaziken raised its deadly taloned foot to deliver me from my misery.

A _whoosh_ of air sounded. Blaziken's foot descending in its final attack?

No. A shadow fell over me, too large to be Blaziken.

 _Ruby_.

Darker skin than my Charmander's, but far more familiar to me. There was a _thud_ as Blaziken's kick was caught on the crossed arms of my father's Charizard.

 _Why couldn't you be just a few moments sooner_? an unjust part of me cried out.

Ruby shoved Blaziken back to land next to its master. Charizard maintained its protective stance over me.

"Fetter, what have you done?" My father's voice came from the nursery door. He looked bruised and battered, and was breathing heavily. He and Ruby both looked like they'd fought their way through hell to get here. Behind him stood Sallia, a Pokéball in hand.

Duke Wunjo frowned as he turned to face my father. "Bandian. It _would_ be you. I have simply done what needed to be done. Put and end to the foolishness that Torlath began and Uruz continued."

"And an end to the royal line? You hope to find your way onto the throne, no doubt."

Wunjo gave a mock bow. "I merely serve as duty calls."

"Sallia, to the princess," my father said. The other Cressellian nodded and started toward where Vannarae and I sprawled on the floor.

"Not so fast," Wunjo said. "Houndoom, go! Stop them!"

"Probopass, go!" my father shouted. Probopass, little more than a giant stone face, materialized between the newly-released Houndoom and its would-be quarry, Sallia.

Wunjo's brow furrowed. "You're not going to make this easy, are you?"

I didn't hear my father's reply as Sallia bent down over me. It was all I could do to allow her to pick me up onto my feet. Once my weight was removed from the princess, Vannarae had an easier time of it.

"We're going," Sallia said to the two of us.

"My Charmander," I said.

Sallia nodded sharply. "We saw. Don't let its sacrifice be in vain, Jessin. Charmander died doing her duty as a Cressellian. Carry on that spirit by continuing to protect Princess Vannarae and the royal Eevee."

I nodded, blinking away the tears in my eyes.

"Eevee!" Vannarae said, as if she'd just remembered in her shock. She pointed towards where her Pokéball still lay in the center of the room. In the chaos, Wunjo seemed to have forgotten it.

Sallia breathed in sharply, realizing what it was. "Hypno, I choose you!" she said, and the psychic-type Pokémon emerged from a Pokéball at her waist. "Retrieve that Pokéball!"

Hypno complied, lifting the ball in the air with psychic force and carrying it back to Princess Vannarae, who yelped at the sparks that fizzled across the ball as it landed in her hands.

"It's broken," Vannarae said.

"Worry about that later," Sallia said. "For now, just keep it safe. We're getting the two of you out of here."

"The three of us," I interjected. I pointed across the room where Belen Daguz sat stunned on the floor, his head just beginning to lift as he shook off his stupor. "The Daguz didn't intend to kill Vannarae, merely to supplant the Lord Regent. They would have kept her safe. Wunjo betrayed them and slew the duchess. If we leave him, Wunjo will kill him and pin the worst of the attack on House Daguz."

"He's not my priority," Sallia said. "I'll come back for him, but not at the risk of further endangering the princess. If what you say is true, then the boy would gladly sacrifice his life to protect the princess."

I nodded. I'd said my piece – I was glad to have someone else taking charge whose orders I could simply follow.

Sallia pointed us out of the nursery door, keeping her body between us and Duke Wunjo.

"You're not going anywhere!" Wunjo said. He pulled a third Pokéball from his waist. "Salazzle, stop them!"

"Chestnut, stop the Salazzle!" my father released his Lickilicky, its rotund pink body materializing in front of Salazzle's dark, reptilian form. The two Pokémon engaged, Chestnut more than capable of holding off Salazzle while we made our escape. Duke Wunjo was visibly frustrated now. My father was one of the few trainers who could go toe-to-toe with a Duke of the realm – with three Pokémon battling at once, no less. It was no easy feat – most trainers had trouble with merely a double battle.

We moved past my father on our way out. Despite trying to command three Pokémon at once, he still found time to stop me with hands on shoulders and look into my eyes.

"Jessin, I love you. I wish I could keep protecting you, but you're a Cressellian now. Please, keep her safe."

I nodded back, tears in my eyes. That was all there was time for – then Sallia was ushering us out into the hall. I spared one glance over my shoulder and saw my father drawing his sword as Duke Wunjo drew his. It seemed this would not stop at a battle between Pokémon.

"That way." Sallia pointed us down a hallway away from the nursery.

I put my hand between Vannarae's shoulderblades and gave her a little push to get her going and took off jogging after her, trying desperately not to think of the tiny dead Pokémon I was leaving behind. It felt like the deepest betrayal, but duty pushed me forward.

When she was sure Wunjo wasn't following us, Sallia moved into the lead to guide us.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"West balcony," Sallia said. "We're flying you out."

"What? Why?" I'd assumed we were heading to a more defensible location, perhaps where the Cressellians were staging their main defense.

"The palace is lost," Sallia said.

I nearly stopped in my tracks. "How?"

"They hid their approach well and came in far larger numbers than we have soldiers on hand. They must have emptied every guardhouse in Wunjo and Daguz to mount this attack. The palace guard is insufficient to repel such an attack, even with the might of what Cressellians are on hand. Right now they fight not to win, but to buy time for the princess to escape."

"What of the Lord Regent?" Vannarae's question was quiet.

"I don't know," Sallia said. "Captain Mikaid and I were fighting our way to the East Gate when reports started coming in about the size of the attacking force. He realized that Princess Vannarae was likely the real target, and we peeled off. We saw no sign of the Lord Regent before we left. But the fighting was fierce there, and he was likely caught at its heart. I don't want to give you false hope, Princess Vannarae. You ought to know the true severity of the situation."

"I certainly don't want it sugar-coated. Thank you."

Sallia nodded, and we made the rest of our way in silence. The halls were eerily quiet, eveyone either retreated into hiding or gone to join in the fighting in the East Wing.

In five minutes, we came to the portico doors that opened out onto the East Balcony, a great stone construction that looked out over the valley surrounding the palace – or it would, if not for the cacaphonous rain that was beating down.

"Swift, go!" Sallia released her Pidgeot.

"Can she fly in this?" I had to shout to be heard over the pouring rain.

"She'll have to," Sallia shouted back. "Now climb on! Your highness, you first. Hold her there. Like this." Sallia demonstrated the proper way to mount Pidgeot. After Vannarae was mounted near the bird Pokémon's neck, I got on behind her."

"Aren't you coming?" I asked Sallia.

The Cressellian shook her head. "Pidgeot can't carry me and the princess both. You're lighter."

My stomach sank. I would be alone with the princess, the only one guarding the future of our realm.

My father's words echoed in my mind.

I nodded.

"Where are we going? What should we do?" I asked.

Just then, I heard shouts echoing from the corridors and the sounds of Pokémon battling. The fight was coming our way.

Sallia looked over her shoulder and drew another Pokéball from her waist.

"There's no time," Sallia said. "Swift knows the way. Just keep the princess safe. Swift, go!"

With no more than that, the Pidgeot shook the water from its feathers and took to the air with a great beat of its mighty wings. I clung tight to the bird Pokémon's feathers where Sallia had demonstrated, pinning the princess tight beneath my chest.

"Remember Belen Daguz!" I shouted as Swift lifted off, suddenly remembering the boy. Some part of me felt that it needed to save _something_ in that room, even if it was an enemy rather than my Charmander. I couldn't tell if Sallia heard me or not – she was already turning back to the palace and the battle within.

All too soon, the ground and palace both were lost in the swirl of rain.


	3. Chapter 3: Rock Tomb

There was no keeping track of time in the storm. It remained cold, dark, and featureless, as if the rain had erased the world beyond arm's reach. I couldn't even speak to the princess, because of the buffetting of air around us and the hammering of rain. All I could do was cling to Pidgeot and try desperately not to think of how far below us the ground was.

Actually, that wasn't too hard. I had too much else to think about.

A pale, red body, hitting the floor.

A flame flickering out.

An empty Pokéball in the clip at my waist.

I was the worst Pokémon trainer of all time. I hadn't had my Charmander for an hour before she was dead and gone. I hadn't had her long enough to _name_ her. My father's words, that she had died a Cressellian and I should carry on to honor her, were cold comfort. How much could the poor little thing have understood of what was going on? I'd loved her instantly, from the moment I had seen her released from her Pokéball in a flare of red light. I think she must have felt the same – or else why would she have risked everything in a doomed attempt to save me? I knew that Pokémon didn't have the same minds as humans, the same complexity of thought – how much had she really understood? Or had she merely acted on base, animal instinct?

I was grateful that I was soaked through enough that my tears were indistinguishable from the rain. Hopefully Princess Vannarae would dismiss the tremors of my sobs as shivers from the bitter cold.

I didn't know how long we flew – you could have told me it was days and I would have believed it. But finally, mercifully, a greater darkness rose up in front of us, which I finally recognized as a rocky outcropping just before Swift angled her wings and brought us in for a landing. In the haze, I thought she was going to collide with the side of the rock face, but we passed through it and I realized we were in a cave of some sort. For the first time in hours, we were no longer being pelted by wind and rain, and the only wetness was what hung from my hair and permeated my clothes.

I took my time dismounting, my body feeling frozen to Swift's. My ears rang and my skin was numb all over. I began rubbing feeling back into my hands.

"Princess, are you okay?" I could barely make out her shape in the dimness, what with the storm blocking whatever stars and moon might have been out that night.

The princess dismounted as well, arms wrapped around herself, shivering. She slumped to the floor in a heap. "I'm alive, at least. Please, call me Rae."

"We're not supposed to do that," I said.

"Please?"

She sounded absolutely miserable. Well, what could it hurt? There wasn't exactly anyone around to scold me for it.

"Fine. Rae it is, then. I'm Jessin."

We stood in silence for a few moments.

"What do we do now?" Rae asked.

"We wait. We rest. Once the storm clears, we'll be able to see where Swift took us and start making plans."

"Pidge! Pidge!" Swift called from deeper into the tunnel. She had scuttled off on her talons while we were talking.

"I think she wants us to follow her," I said. "Come on." I helped Rae to her feet. I could feel her shivering through her cloak.

We followed Sallia's Pokémon deeper into the cave, following by the sound of her talons scratching more than anything else. Eventually Swift stopped moving, calling out at us in her high-pitched squawk to guide us towards her. We moved slowly so that we wouldn't trip over any loose rock.

Eventually we reached where Swift had stopped. I wasn't sure why she'd brought us here, until she used her beak to peck against something that was distinctly _not_ stone. I felt out in the direction of the sound and found what felt like a large wooden chest. I traced it with my hands until I found the latch, which I undid.

"What is it?" Rae asked.

"A chest," I said. "I'm seeing what's inside." I felt around within the chest, trying to orient myself by the feel of the contents within. Soft packets of cloth, tin cans and boxes… aha!

I pulled out what I was sure had to be a lantern. I rooted around in the area where I'd found it until I found a box of matches that I could use to light the thing. After a few aborted attempts thanks to my numb fingers, I finally managed to light a match and use it to light the lantern. The lantern was a little glass box inside a metal frame, hanging from a loop of bronze. It cast a warm, dusky glow over our immediate surroundings, as welcome as the sun in our current darkness.

"Look, dry clothes!" Rae exclaimed, already sorting through the rest of the contents of the chest by our newfound lantern light. We immediately stripped off our wet clothes and slipped into the nearest-fitting dry ones we found within the chest, nondescript garments and boots fit for travel. We then spent the next 10 minutes looking through the rest of our newfound treasure, tallying up our resources.

In addition to the clothes, we had found food for both human and Pokémon, firestarting materials, basic medical supplies, and a small supply of weapons, including a bow and arrows, two shortswords, and a pair of daggers.

I opened a tin of food and set it in front of Swift before digging into the dry rations designed for human consumption. For a while, the cavern was filled with nothing but the sounds of two humans and one Pokémon eating.

"What is this place?" Rae asked after some time.

"It must be a cache of Cressellian supplies. They're hidden all over the kingdom, for Cressellians out and about to turn to in times of need. This must be one that Sallia and her Pokémon were quite familiar with, in order for Swift to find it in the middle of such a storm."

"So if she knows where we are, that means we should just stay here until she sends someone to come and find us, right?"

I shook my head. "No. If anything, I think the fact that she knows where we are means we should get moving sooner rather than later."

"Why?" Rae asked.

"In case they torture it out of her," I admitted.

Rae flinched at that. I felt guilty, but the princess had a right to know the gravity of the situation.

"Can we at least stay the night?" Rae asked. "Surely they can't come after us that quickly.

I hesitated. She was probably right, but I wasn't sure I wanted to take the risk.

"Pidge!" Swift cooed.

"See? The Pidgeot agrees with me."

"Her name's Swift," I said. "But fine. We'll head out as soon as the storm clears."

As I said it, Swift began making her way back toward the cave opening.

"Swift, where are you going? You can't go back out in that!" Rae shouted after the flying Pokémon.

"You won't stop her," I said quietly. "Her trainer is in danger."

"Pidge!" Swift said. She spread her wings and pushed off into the storm without so much as a look back.

"Fly strong," I sent the wish after her, a quiet prayer to Cressellia.

After a moment I turned away from the cave opening. I found a firestarter's kit in the chest and Rae helped me build a small fire. We found blankets and curled around each other near the fire for warmth, shutting away the cold, dark world outside our little bubble of light and warmth. Despite everything, eventually I slept.

"Wake up," an urgent voice said. It was quiet and male.

I wrinkled my eyes. My back was stiff and lying against a hard surface. Where was I?

My eyes jolted open. It all came back to me. The palace. The nursery. Duke Wunjo.

Charmander.

Even with my brain recalled to itself, it took me a minute to make sense of what I was seeing. Kneeling over the princess and I was the ragged, baggy-eyed figure of Belen Daguz. Our fire had died down to embers, but daylight was streaming in through the open mouth of the cave. Belen was looking worriedly toward the opening.

"Wake up," he said again, giving the princess and I another shake.

I stumbled to my feet and backed away from the young noble, putting myself between him and the princess.

"I mean you no harm," Belen said, holding up his hands pleadingly. "If I did, I'd have done you in while you were sleeping, yes?"

He was right. I nodded, still cautious. "What are you doing here?"

"I have you to thank, I understand. That Cressellian sent me after you on her Pidgeot. Told me to help you defend the princess, if I wanted to restore honor to the Daguz family name." He spat out his last words.

I shook my head in wonder. The fact that Swift had made yet _another_ round trip from the Palace to save Daguz was astounding. She must have been absolutely exhausted.

"Where is Swift? The Pidgeot," I clarified when he looked confused.

"Ah," Belen said. "It dropped me and left. Look, we have to move. I think that we may have been followed. I saw flying Pokémon behind us in the distance. Couldn't tell whether there were riders, but the formation makes me think they weren't wild. Pidgeot – Swift was trying to draw them off, but we have to move now in case she is unsuccessful."

"But do houses Daguz and Wunjo even have flying Pokémon?" Princess Vannarae asked. "Couldn't they just have been wild?"

"Charizard, Talonflame, Murkrow," I recited. "A few others. They're rare, but it's possible. Besides, not all trainers of a house use exclusively that type of Pokémon, so it's better safe than sorry. Your safety is the most important thing, princess. Belen is right – we should move."

We started packing. Included in the chest were two backpacks, which Belen and I strapped to our backs after filling them to the brim with as much food, water, medicine, and supplies as we could cram in. The blankets we rolled and affixed to the side by straps attached to the bags.

I made my way to the mouth of the cave.

"Wait," Belen said. "We can't go out that way. It's barren rock – we'll be easy to see from the sky if anyone is looking."

"Then where?" I said.

"Further in," Belen said, pointing into the dark cave.

I blanched. "How do you even know that goes anywhere? We could just be lost underground!"

"Don't you know where we are?" Belen asked, surprised.

I shook my head. "We flew through the storm. I couldn't make sense of where we were going."

"This is Mt. Fehu," Belen said. "I've travelled past it before with my mother – its shape is unmistakable. We came in high up, but there are many exits at ground level. I'm sure all of the tunnels are connected within."

Mt. Fehu – it was near the city of Fehu, part of the Rock Province governed by Duke Marros Fehu. I didn't know much of the Duke or the area, save its geographical location. We were southwest of the capitol, on another island. At some point during our harried flight, we had crossed the narrow sea that separated Edda's central island from its southwest one. In addition to Fehu, the Southwest Island held the city of Uruz, home of the Lord Regent Sammarin Uruz.

"But you don't actually know the way." This from Vannarae, who had woken up despite our hushed tones.

Belen shook his head. "I don't, your highness."

I noticed that Rae didn't tell _him_ to call her by her name.

"He's right," I cut in. "If there's a chance he was followed by flying Pokémon riders, through the cave is the only safe way out."

Rae didn't look happy about it, but she nodded.

There was a second lantern among the supplies in the Cressellian cache. Belen took it, but left it unlit as I lit mine in order to conserve fuel.

"Vanta, go!" Belen released his Zorua. It looked to have recuperated from the battle in the nursery after a night-long stay in its Pokéball. "Vanta can see in the dark – has a pretty good nose on him, too. He should be able to keep a nose out for any wild Pokémon. Might even be able to scent a way out as we get deeper in.

I nodded. "Let's go, then."

We set off down the tunnel, no immediate forks in our path forcing us to make a decision immediately. Within minutes, the light from the cavern entrance had faded into darkness and the only light remaining came from my lantern. Zorua marched at the front of our party, at the very edge of the lanternlight's reach. I kept a wary eye on the dark fox Pokémon, still not quite able to get over seeing it as an adversary.

For a time, we walked in silence. It was Rae who broke it.

"Why did you take part in the coup?" she asked. "Why betray the kingdom?"

Belen missed a step, but continued walking, not looking at the princess.

"We weren't betraying the kingdom. We were trying to save it. I understand what it must look like to you, but my mother and I truly thought we were doing what was best for Edda."

"I'm not an idiot, you know," Rae said.

"I didn't think you were," Belen said.

"I've been preparing to be the queen of this nation since I could learn to read. So cut the 'it was for the good of the kingdom' crap and tell me _what_ you were hoping to acheive. Maybe then I'll believe you."

"Of course, your highness," Belen said, a touch stiffly. I did my best to make the two forget I was there by quieting my footsteps and melding into the shadows. My father had taught me it never paid to get in between quarrelling nobles. Unless the princess needed physical defending, I would let her bandy words with the Daguz dukeling.

"We thought that Duke Uruz was using his position as Lord Regent for his own benefit, and in so doing dangerously destabilizing the kingdom."

" _How_?" Rae pressed. I admired her grit and fearlessness – here she was, her only guard Pokémon-less, and her own Eevee trapped in a malfunctioning Pokéball, mercilessly grilling a man who had betrayed her just hours previously, and who had a powerful Pokémon of his own. She seemed properly _regal_. I found within myself a renewed passion to see this girl ensconced back upon the throne of Edda. Not just because she was queen by law and birthright, but because she would make a damned _good_ queen.

"It's the Pokéballs," Belen said. "The Apricorn Pokéballs. The technology was developed in Uruz, and the duke was using his position to promote their proliferation, putting Pokémon in the hands of unqualified commoners. Such power in untrained hands in unconscionably dangerous."

"And this has nothing to do with the fact that the proliferation of Apricorn Pokéballs threatens the Daguz family's bottom line by competing with their monopoly on faerie glass balls?"

"Of course not!" Belen's voice was fiery. "That has nothing to do with it. Faerie glass will always be the preeminent material for building Pokéballs, because it's simply _better_." He pointed at the broken ball at Rae's waist, still giving off occasional blue sparks. "They're more durable, catch Pokémon more easily, and filter faerie energy to heal the Pokémon within more quickly and efficiently. All Apricorn Pokéballs have going for them is that they're cheaper to produce and their raw materials are easier to come across. The reason we decided we had to remove Uruz was because he's changing the very fabric of the kingdom with no regard to the consequences. He's actually _subsidizing_ the costs of producing Apricorn Pokéballs, enriching himself in the process thanks to the patents his family holds, and putting Pokémon in the hands of those ill-equipped to handle them properly."

Belen was breathing heavily by the time he was done with his rant. "Anyways, believe me or don't, your highness. But I mean to serve you and protect you to the best of my ability. It was Fetter Wunjo who wanted you dead, not my mother. May she rest in peace. I'm going to scout ahead a bit." With that, Belen lit his lantern and took off further down the path, his Zorua moving with him, leaving Rae and I behind in our own little bubble of light.

"Do you believe him?" Rae asked once the light from Belen's lantern had disappeared around the curvature of the tunnel.

"It's not my place to say," I said carefully.

"I'm asking for your opinion," Rae said. "It's funny – I always hear how my father was a master politician because he could see what people were really thinking just by looking in their eyes. Whatever skill of his that was, it doesn't appear to be one that's passed on by blood. I can't read people at all."

"Why do you trust me, then?"

"You jumped in front of a Pokémon attack for me," Rae said. "I'd say that's pretty convincing proof."

I nodded. "I never knew your father, Rae. So I can't speak to what talents he might or might not have had in the area. But I don't think it's a bad idea to be suspicious until someone proves their loyalty to you. How can you – or they, for that matter – know it's true loyalty if it's never been tested?"

Rae nodded. It broke my heart a bit to see the mantle of duty that lay heavy on this somber girl. Fourteen years old, and already she was consumed entire with the duties of a monarch – a monarch under siege, no less.

"That said, I don't think Belen poses you any immediate danger. The Daguz were clearly betrayed by House Wunjo – and Wunjo clearly meant to pin your assassination on his family. Even if he meant to betray you before, Wunjo's betrayal of him will likely fasten him to your side. If nothing else, you have a common energy. All his talk about honor?" I shrugged. "There's no telling whether or not he believes in that, or if he does, what kind of hold it has on him. _That's_ the bit that will need to be put to the test. So do I trust him? No. But I trust his hate of Fetter Wunjo. Right now, that's enough for me."

Rae nodded. Something in her seemed to relax a fraction. "Then it's enough for me, too."

"Besides, he was right," I said. "If he wanted us dead, he could have killed us while we slept. Or any time since, really. He's the only one of us with a Pokémon they can summon at the moment." A pang in my heart didn't match the flippant words. Charmander's dying cry echoing in my heart. Belen Daguz wasn't the only one with a desire to extract vengeance from Fetter Wunjo.

We saw a shadow coming toward us back down the hall. As it approached the light, it resolved into Belen, Vanta a darker shade beside him.

"You scared us half to death," I said. "Why did you put your light out?"

"There's a pod of Rhyhorn ahead," Belen said. The tunnel splits, high and low. We can take the high path and go around them, but we'll have to go dark and quiet so they don't hear us."

"Would they attack us?" Rae asked.

"It's possible," Belen said. "Especially if they think we're trespassing in their territory. We don't want to set off a stampede. And Vanta doesn't have any attacks that will put a dent in one Rhyhorn's hide, much less a dozen of them. Better for all involved if we sneak around."

I agreed with Belen's assessment. If only we had a water or grass Pokémon along, the rock Pokémon in the cave wouldn't pose much of a threat to us. But with only Vanta, we couldn't count on good odds if it came to a pitched battle.

I extinguished my lantern and the three of us formed a line of clasped hands with Belen and Vanta leading, Rae in the middle, and me bringing up the rear. Belen had described the precarious stretch of path to us by which we would have to evade the Rhyhorns' detection: it was a ribbon of rock barely wide enough for us to put our feet on – we began to edge across with our backs to the cave wall, shuffling our feet slowly so that they made as little noise as possible. I could hear the Rhyhorn moving around and grumbling below. One false move or a step misplaced onto a loose rock, and we would go tumbling down in to the midst of the Pokémon, and startle them into a deadly stampede before we could extricate ourselves.

Perhaps we were better off in the dark. I don't know that any of us wanted to see that.

Finally the ground beneath my feet began to widen, and I was able to step away from the wall onto solid footing. We'd made it over the worst of it. Rae tugged my hand to pull me along – we didn't want to speak until we were well out of range of the pod of Rhyhorn.

"Ok, Belen said, after some minutes more of walking slowly in the darkness. "That ought to be far enough." There was a _whoosh_ of light as he lit his lantern, revealing the cave around us.

As well as the looming form of a Rhyhorn, standing right behind him.

"Belen, watch out!" Vannarae screamed, before I could put a hand over her mouth to hush her.

Belen turned, just as the Rhyhorn roared and prepared to gore him with its Horn Attack. I grabbed him by the wrist and tugged him out of the way of the attack. Then we were running, with me making sure to keep the princess well in front of me.

The Rhyhorn charged after us, but seemed to have trouble turning corners in the constrained space, so we were able to gain some ground as we barreled down the corridor.

"Which way?" Rae shouted back. I looked past her to see that the corridor split in two ahead. The left path seemed to angle up, while the right angled down. That was good enough for me.

"Right!" I called. I slowed my pace and let Belen and Vanta pass me. "You watch out for her Daguz, you hear me?"

"What are you talking about?" he looked confused as he passed me.

"Just do it!" There was no more time. Belen and Rae took the right path and soon disappeared around a corner. I, on the other hand, took the left, lit my own lantern, and bent to quickly find the biggest rock I could hold in one hand.

"Hey, big, dumb, and bony! Take this!" I chucked the rock at the Rhyhorn as he careened around the corner. The stone shattered harmlessly as it struck him on the head, but it had the desired effect. Rhyhorn took the left path, not the right. Rae was safe.

And me? Well, it was time to run.

I didn't turn to look behind me. What good would it do? My lantern swung wildly in my hand as I ran through the tunnel. I was moving so quickly that the route in front of me barely had time to light up before I was upon it. If I came across a chasm or some such, I might well be doomed. But at least I was fulfilling my Cressellian duty by drawing the rampaging Rhyhorn away from the princess. She would be all right with Belen and Vanta. Wouldn't she?

I shook my head as I ran. I didn't think Belen would hurt her, but that didn't absolve me of my duty. I had to survive to continue protecting the princess. Martyrdom wouldn't discharge me from my duty. If I didn't escape this Rhyhorn and get back to save my princess, I would have failed.

Just as I'd made up my mind, I tripped over some extrusion from the wall of the cave that I hadn't seen. It seemed to detach from the wall as I hit it and tumble along with me, but before it gave way it brought me tumbling to the ground.

I could hear Rhyhorn closing in, roaring and crashing against the tunnel walls, but there wasn't anything I could do. The tunnel was too narrow to cling to the side and hope the Pokémon would pass me by.

Rhyhorn rounded the corner into the light of my lantern at a full run. I stood, hoping perhaps that I could jump over it at the last second and spare myself at least from getting impaled upon its horn.

Then, a fragment of the cave rose up in front of me. It must have been the piece of rock that I'd tripped over.

Only now, it was clear that it wasn't a rock at all. It was a Pokémon.

The Pokémon had a long, narrow body that glistened like metal in the light of my lantern. On the back end of its body were three silver claws extending out of a flat plate of metal. It had no limbs to speak of, but a spherical "head" at the front of its body, over which hung a protective crest. There was a hole in the center of the head that looked like an eye socket, but no eye glowed within – a nasty, X-shaped scar was etched into the metal around the eye socket instead, as if the Pokémon had been blinded by an attack. All in all, it looked more like a disembodied arm than a full Pokémon in its own right.

I had no idea what it was, but at least it didn't seem intent on attacking me.

Indeed, it turned from me to face the Rhyhorn barrelling down upon us. The mysterious Pokémon levitated by some mechanism at a level with the Rhyhorn's head. The Pokémon suddenly began to glow with a blue light, and all of a sudden the Rhyhorn's deadly charge was stopped. I saw that the Rhyhorn was outlined in a similar blue light, and the power seemed to have lifted it off the ground. The Rhyhorn's legs were still moving as if it were still running – it didn't seem to have realized yet that it was no longer in contact with the ground (Rhyhorn were not notably observant Pokémon).

Slowly, the pyschic Pokémon used its power to rotate the Rhyhorn in the air until it was facing back the way we had come. Only then did the Pokémon set it back down. Rhyhorn, never having stopped its running motions, started moving as soon as it hit the ground, away from me and my savior.

Quickly, I snuffed my lanternlight. The Pokémon seemed to be blind, so it shouldn't mind, and I didn't want the Rhyhorn figuring out what had happened and running back toward the light.

There was still a faint bit of illumination from the blue glow outlining the Pokémon, but it slowly began to fade. As it did, the Pokémon sank in the air. As the light fully went out, I heard a clatter as the Pokémon fell the last few inches to the ground.

"Woah! Are you okay?" I got down on hands and knees and crawled over to the Pokémon. It didn't seem to breathe or give any signs that it was alive. But I couldn't just leave it here, not after it has saved me, apparently at the expense of its own wellbeing. I tried to lift the Pokémon, but found that I could barely get it off the ground – it was much heavier than it looked! It had to weigh 200 pounds or more. But still, I couldn't just _leave_ it here. What could I do, roll it? Despite myself, I actually tried that a few times, but the Pokémon's body was irregularly shaped enough that it didn't roll easily.

A weight at my waist reminded me of another possibility.

I pulled Charmander's dead Pokéball from my waist. Now that its former occupant was dead, it could be used again to catch another wild Pokémon. But even thinking about that made me feel nauseous – it felt like a betrayal, like I was moving on far too soon from a Pokémon who had sacrificed so much for me.

But hadn't this Pokémon sacrificed for me as well? Charmander would understand – Charmander would _want_ me to protect this Pokémon. Whatever was ailing the Pokémon, it was likely that the healing properties of the faerie magic concentrated in the Pokéball was the solution.

I held the Pokéball, feeling along its cool exterior. Perhaps this Pokémon could even help me protect the princess. I wasn't much good to her without a Pokémon, was I? That was one reason I had sent Belen along with her rather than calling upon his honor to make himself the sacrifice to the Rhyhorn – his Vanta was the best means of protection that Rae had at the moment.

I placed a hand on the still form of the Pokémon on the cave floor.

"I hope this is what you want, friend," I said. Then I dropped the Pokéball on it. The cave around me lit up briefly in a flash of light, and then the ball was rattling on the cave floor, the button on its front glowing with white light. Finally, the rattling stopped and the light faded. I had captured my first Pokémon.

Now, to get out of this cave and find out what exactly the Pokémon _was_.


	4. Chapter 4: Fake Out

With my new Pokémon fastened securely in its ball in the loop in my belt, I began to try to slowly make my way out of the cave. I came across too many forks in the path to count, choosing whichever one seemed to slope down to the greatest degree. When I judged that the Rhyhorn was likely too many twists and turns away to find me again, I lit my lantern and was relieved to be able to travel by lanternlight rather than by touch and feel. At some point I stopped to eat some of the dry rations that I'd packed from the Cressellian chest.

I briefly released my new Pokémon, but it was still unconscious. The only way I knew it wasn't dead was that the Pokéball had worked on it – Pokéballs wouldn't interact with dead Pokémon.

Now that I had a bit of a respite, I studied the Pokémon in greater detail than I'd had the opportunity to when I'd first encountered it. Its body was made of a hard, blue-tinged metal. The opening that I thought might have been an eye socket was actually two small holes intersecting along one edge, like two spheres of a snowman. An X-shaped scar criss-crossed the larger of the two holes, which was centrally placed on the sphere of its head. All told, the Pokémon's body was barely two feet long. It must be very densely built for how heavy it was at that size. I imagined it must have some physical attacks that packed quite a bit of punch – something like Tackle or Take Down would be effective – not very exciting attacks, but they would get the job done with a Pokémon this heavy, especially if it could use whatever force allowed it to move around to move at quick speeds. Given its metal casing, I wondered if the Pokémon was a Steel type. Given its display against the Rhyhorn, I was fairly confident in assessing it as a psychic type. That would be a very powerful combination of types – or, it would be, if the two Houses arrayed against me weren't those that specialized in Fire and Dark-type Pokémon, which were super-effective against Steel and Psychic, respectively.

Oh, well. Beggars couldn't be choosers. And one of the first things that Cressellian cadets learned was that a well-trained Pokémon could overcome any type disadvantage. Proper training often had the edge over innate ability.

I opened a tin of Pokémon food and placed it next to what I thought was the Pokémon's head, seeing if the smell would entice it to awake. Not that I was even sure that it _could_ smell. After a few minutes with no response, I packed my things back up, returned the Pokémon to its Pokéball, and set out again, spelunking for my way out of the cave.

I encountered several more Pokémon as I walked, but nothing as aggressive as the pack of Rhyhorn. I saw some Zubat and Woobat perched high amonst the stalagtites, scattering as my lanternlight touched them. I saw Geodudes and Gravellers, but they didn't seem to be interested enough in me to stir themselves from their bouldery perches.

After a time, I grew tired and figured I should probably sleep. Whether it was night or not I wasn't sure, but I wouldn't be much good to Vannarae if I stumbled from the cave like the living dead. I didn't release the Pokémon, opting to instead let it rest in the healing embrace of its Pokéball. I found an out-of-the-way alcove, shut off my lantern, ate some more of my rations and slept.

When I awoke, the darkness of the cave was unchanged. I was still tired, but with no indication of how long I'd slept, I shook the crick out of my back, lit my lantern, and continued on my way.

I took more turns, chose paths of a fork on little more than a whim, and even crept past a line of boulders that I realized to be a sleeping Onix. I didn't want to try my luck escaping _that_ when it was awake.

At one point I came to a fork in the path. Both paths seemed to go off at the same elevation, so I was about to choose one at random, when all of a sudden a Spearow flapped past me from the other fork. I jumped out of the way of its flapping wings, but it didn't stop to interact with me. It cast one glance over its shoulder, then continued flying into the darkness of the cave.

Now I wasn't an expert on Pokémon habitats, but I was fairly sure that Spearow didn't live in caves. Which meant that it had likely come in from the outside. At the speed it had been moving, it had almost appeared that it was fleeing from something.

I began to run down the tunnel the Spearow had emerged from. After a few minutes, the cave around me began to lighten. Gradually it grew brighter and brighter until the light of my lantern was no longer necessary.

I could see an arch of blinding white light.

An exit.

A grin split my face as I erupted into the blinding day under a clear blue sky.

The grin quickly turned into a rictus as my eyes adjusted and I could see the scene before me: Princess Vannarae, clothing scuffed and hair mussed up, with her back pressed against the stone side of Mt. Fehu. In front of her, Belen Daguz, looking with grim determination upon a Pokémon battle that was unfolding.

Vanta was on the field, and looked much the worse for wear. The Zorua was breathing heavily and its fur was matted down in places with blood.

On the other side of the field were two trainers in the crimson uniforms of House Wunjo. Both had Pokémon released, though only one was currently engaged in battle – a female trainer was battling Vanta with a Combusken. I could immediately see why Vanta was so poorly off – Combusken, the pre-evolution of the Blaziken wielded with such viciousness by Duke Wunjo himself, was fighting-type in addition to fire. Its fighting-type attacks would be devastatingly effective against the dark-type Zorua.

The other Wunjo trainer had what I recognized as a Talonflame – A fire/flying dual-type Pokémon that was a powerful third evolution. It would be many levels of strength beyond either Zorua or Combusken to have already evolved twice. No doubt the only reason it wasn't fighting instead of Combusken was that it was the Wunjo trainers' method of travel. They'd probably seen Belen and Rae emerge from the mountain from the skies on Talonflame's back and dived down to apprehend them. Belen had been right – Wunjo's forces had been hot on his heels. Even if Vanta could somehow deal with the Combusken, it would be both weakened and overwhelmingly overmatched by the Talonflame.

But I had an idea how we might deal with the pair of Wunjo trainers and buy us enough time to escape the area and get to safety. It would be risky, but I couldn't see a way out of this that wasn't. Here was hoping the healing properties of Charmander's Pokéball had been enough to bring my new Pokémon back into fighting shape. And that it was willing to help out its new trainer, despite my not having actually, you know, trained it.

Rae heard my boots crunching on the gravel outside the cave and turned to me. "Jessin! You're alive!" The relief in her voice was palpable. "This is bad," she said. "I don't know if Belen and Vanta can win this."

At Rae's exclamation, the three Pokémon trainers turned and noticed me as well.

"Is that the other one?" the Talonflame's trainer asked.

"Don't worry about her," the Combusken's trainer responded. "The Duke said she doesn't have any Pokémon. This Zorua is all we have to worry about."

"Is that what the traitor said?" I said, trying to project a confidence into my voice that I didn't feel, a pang going through me at the reminder of Charmander's demise. "I'm afraid you've gotten some bad intel." I raised my Pokéball, hoping against hope that more than an unconscious pile of metal would emerge from it.

"Thunderarm, I choose you!" I shouted, and in a flash of red light, my Pokémon emerged.

It was not a corpse. It emerged floating 5 feet off the ground like it had been when it had saved me from the Rhyhorn. As it emerged, it spun in the air to face me with the unsettlingly empty eye socket. A metallic, droning hum emanated from it. I met its unseeing gaze and nodded. _Please_ , I willed it. I don't know if it sensed my thoughts or merely thought it would roll with the situation, but the Pokémon spun to "face" the other combatants on the field, as if I truly was is trainer and we had endured many battles together.

"What is _that_?" the Talonflame's trainer asked.

"That's a…" Belen began, his eyes wide with surprise.

"It's my Thunderarm," I cut him off quickly. "The final evolution of Sparkfinger. A psychic and electric type. Just right to fry up a pair of chickens, wouldn't you say?"

Catching on, Belen allowed himself to grin. "Indeed. Let's see how you like it with the type advantage turned against you, hmm?"

I wasn't going to give the Wunjo trainers too much time to collect their thoughts. I could only hope that my Pokémon was rare enough that if I hadn't recognized it, they wouldn't either. "Thunderarm, use a psychic attack on the Combusken!" I pointed at the yellow-and-red, bipedal chicken that was threatening Vanta. I hoped that I hadn't been wrong about the nature of the attack the Pokémon had used to stop the Rhyhorn in its tracks.

My Pokémon tilted in the air and turned to look back at me. I suddenly realized that while it must have some method of sensing those around it, it must not know how to identify which one was Combusken – it couldn't see me pointing.

"The Pokémon second-nearest to us," I clarified.

The Pokémon's droning hum intensified and it turned back to its opponent. It began to glow blue, and suddenly the Combusken did as well. Combusken's face stretched in suprise as it was lifted off the ground, and its talons scrabbled for purchase.

It didn't find it. My Pokémon used its psychic powers to batter Combusken repeatedly against the ground until it shut its eyes and fell unconscious.

"Combusken, return!" its trainer shouted in distress, returning the Pokémon to its Pokéball in a beam of red light.

I released a breath, impressed that my plan had worked so flawlessly thus far. I knew psychic was strong against fighting, but I was still impressed that my Pokémon had managed to take out the Combusken in just one attack. It made the con I was trying to pull that much more believable.

"Shit!" the Combusken's trainer said. She took a step backwards. "Merrow, do you what that thing is? Can Talonflame take it?"

The Talonflame's trainer – Merrow, apparently – had a look of worry on his face. "I don't know, I've never heard of a Thunderarm!"

"If it takes out Talonflame, we have no way out of here. Isn't it better for us to escape and get word back to the Duke about their location? We can't take the risk!"

"Oh no, you're not getting away!" This came from Belen. "Not after what you did to my Zorua! Jessin, have Thunderarm zap that bird out of the sky!" As he said it, Belen suddenly grasped at his chest and gave a short scream, falling to his knees in pain.

"Belen!" I shouted, running to him. Had he taken a wound from the Wunjo trainers? My "Thunderarm" followed me, ignoring the Wunjo trainers for the moment.

"Come on, Merrow! Now's our chance!"

Merrow spared my Pokémon an uncertain look, but nodded and mounted up on the flying Pokémon behind his partner and took to the air. "We'll be back for you soon, traitors!" he shouted down when he judged himself a safe distance from whatever electric attacks my Pokémon might know. My Pokémon increased the volume of its drone to a threatening level and Talonflame veered away on an escape course.

When I was sure they weren't circling back for a surprise attack, I bent down over Belen. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he said, shrugging off my ministrations and getting to his feet. He grinned. "I guess I sold it?"

My eyes widened as I realized he'd been faking it – providing the suspicious Merrow a reason why I wasn't pressing the attack with my supposed electric-type Pokémon. I punched Belen in the shoulder, but couldn't prevent an answering grin from spreading on my own face.

"Thunderarm?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I had about ten seconds to come up with that!" The Pokémon in question floated over to us and I laid a hand on its back. "Thank you, friend. Sorry to put you in a dangerous situation like that – it was an emergency."

The Pokémon droned in a high, pulsating chirp. Was that forgiveness? Recrimination? If this Pokémon was going to stay with me, I'd have to learn how to interpret the noises it made.

"Say, do you know what Pokémon this is? It seemed like you might, earlier," I asked Belen.

"You don't?" Belen asked.

I shook my head.

"It's a Beldum," Belen said. "I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it – they're very rare, and not from this area at all. I haven't seen one in person before, just illustrations. Though this one seems to have been blinded – in the illustrations I've seen, they have a red eye in that socket. How'd you come across it, anyway?"

"It saved me from that Rhyhorn with a psychic attack after I tripped over it," I said. "But it seemed to be hurt, so I caught it so that my Pokéball would heal it. Is it a psychic-type?"

"Psychic and steel," Belen said, confirming my suppositions. "A good thing our little play worked – that Talonflame would have cooked it with a fire attack."

I winced at that. "Speaking of, we had better get out of here before they find reinforcements and come back for us."

At that moment, Rae got to us. "Jessin, you're alive!" she leapt through the air and threw her arms around me, sending us both tumbling to the ground.

"Oof," I grunted. "A little less than I was a moment ago, but yeah!"

"Sorry," Rae said sheepishly, and got up off me. Belen extended a hand and pulled me to my feet.

"Who's this? You caught a new Pokémon?"

"Kind of," Jessin said. "Mostly I was just trying to protect it. It's a Beldum, according to Belen."

"Cool!" Rae said. "Is it going to travel with us?"

"That's a question for it, I suppose," I said. "What do you say, Beldum? Do you want to keep travelling with us, with me as your trainer, or do you want to be released back into the wild? I'll be happy to let you go if that's what you want – but I'd also love to have you as my Pokémon. It's going to be a dangerous journey, though. If you come with us, I can't promise your safety."

You could never be sure how much Pokémon would understand – some were smarter than others, and those captured by Pokéballs become even smarter through faerie magic and the bond it formed between them and their trainers. But the Beldum moved its body in a way that approximated a nod. It floated forward and tapped its Pokéball at my waist. It trilled happily.

I smiled, trying not to think of what had happend to the last Pokémon to inhabit that ball. "I guess that settles that, then. Welcome to the team, Beldum!"

"What are you going to name it?" Rae asked.

I shook my head. " _That_ is a question for another day. After we're well away from the place where are enemies know to find us. For now, Beldum will do. Beldum, return!" I held up its Pokéball and returned it before clasping the ball into the slot at my waist.

"Vanta, you too!" Belen returned his battered Pokémon to its Pokéball for a healing rest. "I'm agreed that we should get out of here, but where to?" He looked up warily at the skies.

"You said this was Mt. Fehu, right?" Rae asked.

Belen nodded.

"Then we ought to be pretty close to Fehu City. Duke Fehu will take us in."

I frowned. "Are you sure we can trust him? How do you know he's not in league with Wunjo?"

"If he was, my mother never said anything about it," Belen said. "As far as I knew, only Houses Wunjo and Daguz were in on the plan.

"Still, it might be better to keep our heads low until there's a little more info out there about what's going on. Even if Fehu isn't a traitor, is he really willing to stick out his neck for you? What do you know about him."

"Oh, I've met him at a half-dozen stuffy functions," Rae said. "And what I _know_ about him is that he is a Duke of Edda. It doesn't matter if he likes me or not – he is honor-bound to restore me to my throne as a loyal vassal of the kingdom."

Belen looked at me questioningly.

Finally, I relented with a shrug. "Well, it's a direction to walk, at least."


End file.
